Local leaders are one step closer to tackling the HIV epidemic that has plagued the nation since the 1980s.

ACR Health unveiled a protocol to identify sexually transmitted diseases and prevent them from spreading. After decades of fighting the HIV epidemic, health advocates are starting to see long-awaited progress.

"27 years ago, we had over 14,000 HIV infections statewide,” said Wil Murtaugh, the ACR Health executive director. “That's huge. Now we have it down to about 2,700 statewide. So, we're making great progress of getting the infection down."

The goal is to reduce the number of cases to 750 or FEWER by 2020.

"The infections we do have, 66-percent are in people under the age 40,” said Murtaugh. “So, it's a higher percentage of people when they are younger, getting HIV." At the same time, leaders in Onondaga County are trying to stop the rise of other sexually transmitted diseases -- such as gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis.

ACR Health officials hope their new protocol will help.

"The traditional urine screening is an ineffective way of detecting gonorrhea and chlamydia.” Said John Arcaro, the ACR Health Prevention and Community Initiatives Director. "ACR Health is implementing extragenital testing which is testing outside the genital region for gonorrhea and chlamydia. It's a throat and rectal swab."

Arcaro says ACR Health is the first community based organization in Upstate New York to use these tests.

"I think it will identify a sexually transmitted infection faster and it's going to get people treated,” said Murtaugh. “So they are not more open to getting HIV and they're not going to spread their sexually transmitted infection around either."

It’s a measure that could be beneficial in more ways than one.

"Having folks getting the proper healthcare treatment so that they are able to perform and go to work is a big piece of solving our poverty issues,” said Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon.

The test is free and available daily at ACR health by appointment or a walk-in basis.

ACR Health is also running a weeklong health and AIDS awareness campaign ahead of this weekend's 27th AIDS Walk and Run on Sunday at Beaver Lake Nature Center.